Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover
by bdragneel
Summary: When Lucy, the newest student at Fairy Tail High, hears someone singing one of her favorite songs in the cafeteria, she quickly goes to investigate. After bonding over their tastes in music, Natsu and Lucy quickly become friends. Rated T for language and not so innocent sounding song lyrics.
1. Chapter 1

***Hello! This is my first time ever posting a fanfic of mine so you can imagine how nervous I am. Please go easy on me! I thought I'd play it safe and write a short little oneshot just to get my creative juices flowing. Any reviews or advice is welcome! Thanks for reading!***

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters in this fic (Those would be Hiro Mashima's). I also do not own the song (Little Monsters by Royal Blood).**

"Stupid stripper. Getting me in trouble. Fucking dick." Natsu grumbled to himself as he slapped the mop against the cafeteria floor. The only thing worse than after school detention was early morning detention.

The previous day, Natsu and Gray - the aforementioned stripper - got into a verbal disagreement which lead to Natsu calling Gray several not so school appropriate names. Unfortunately for him, the teacher walked in just in time to hear him use some particularly vulgar language which lead to him having to come in at the ass crack of dawn and clean the cafeteria.

After about an hour of sweeping, mopping, and belly aching, Natsu finished up with half an hour to spare before classes started.

"Whew!" he huffed, wiping some sweat from around his headband. "That didn't take as long as I thought it would." He snatched up a chair from the stack in the corner and put on his headphones. "Might as well hang out and relax before I have to go kick that ice prick's ass." He sat down and kicked up his feet onto a near by table, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes while the first song on his shuffle started up.

 ** _"Hey little monster, I got my eye on you. Where are you going, where are you running to?"_**

* * *

"Well I think that's everything, Mr. Heartfilia. Looks like you're all set to start classes today, Lucy." the white haired counselor chimed with a bright smile.

"Thank you, Ms. Strauss. I'll be leaving then. Have a good first day, Lucy." Jude Heartfilia said before exiting the small office.

"Well he was in a hurry, huh?" Ms. Strauss said turning to Lucy.

"That's normal. He's probably late for a business meeting or something." Lucy replied with a half smile and a sigh.

"You'll love it here, Lucy. The teachers and students are wonderful. I'm sure you make friends quickly. If you ever need help with anything, my door is always open." the counselor reassured.

"Thank you, Ms. Strauss. I appreciate it."

"Please call me Mira. You still have some time before classes begin. Maybe you'd like to take this time to explore."

"Yes I think I will. Thanks again!" Lucy gathered her things and headed out into the hall. As she rounded a corner on the way to where she assumed her locker would be, she froze.

 _ **"Hey little monster, I got my eye on you. Where are you going, where are you running to?"**_

 _Singing? Whoever it is sounds pretty good._

She pressed her ear to the large pair of doors she heard the singing coming from.

 _ **"Hey little monster, you know its all okay. I'm gonna love you no matter what you say."**_

 _Wait a minute. I know that song!_

Lucy pushed the door open just enough to see the source of the music. There was someone across the room with wild pink hair air drumming like a maniac. Lucy had to suppress a giggle at the sight.

 ** _"I've got love on my fingers! Lust on my tongue! You say you got nothin' so come out and get some!"_**

 _He's singing Little Monster! He likes Royal Blood! Who is this guy?_

 _ **"Heartache to heartache. I'm your wolf I'm your man. I say run little monster before you know who I am."**_

She hadn't noticed, but she had started walking towards him.

 _Who ever he is, he has an amazing voice. And he's pretty hot from what I can see. You can serenade me any time, hot stu- SHIT!_

" _ **Hey little creature tell me wh**_ \- WHAT THE FUCK?!"

The boy jumped from his chair and spun around, fists in the air like he was prepared to fight.

"Ow. Dammit. Stupid chair." she cursed. _Very graceful, Lucy. Now he probably thinks you're a complete weirdo._

"Hey are you okay down there?" She looked up from her place on the floor to see him observing her.

 _Wow. He's REALLY hot._ His eyes were a gorgeous shade of emerald. He had on a red headband with what looked like dragons on it around his forehead. His black t-shirt hugged his muscles in all the right places. _Oh yeah he definitely works out._

"Helloooo? Blondie? Are you alright? Did you hit your head or somethin'?"

"Oh! Um, yeah. I'm fine. Just tripped. Chairs, ya know. Always in the way. Hahaha." _Shit I hope he didn't notice me checking him out._

"Well here let me help you up." He said as he extended one of his muscled arms towards her.

"O-Okay." She took his hand and he helped her to her feet. "Thanks."

"I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you new here?" He asked as she dusted herself off.

She gave him an embarrassed smiled and said "Oh, yeah! I just started here today. My name's Lucy."

"I'm Natsu! Natsu Dragneel! Nice to meet ya!" He exclaimed with a toothy grin. "So what are you doing in here anyway? It's a little early for lunch, huh? Haha."

Lucy let out a giggle at his comment. "Well I- um.."

 _Oh god. He's gonna think I'm some creeper that was watching him while he sang._

* * *

Natsu eyed the girl in front of him as her cheeks became dusted with red she seemed to scramble for words. He didn't know why she had gotten all flustered all of a sudden, but she looked really.. cute.

He took the opportunity to really look at her. The only word he could use to describe her was beautiful. Her golden blonde hair was pulled up in a pony tail and held by a pink ribbon, her eyes were like chocolate and honey, her skin looked like smooth porcelain, and who could ignore her incredible body.

"I actually heard you singing out in the hall so I came in to see who it was." she said with an awkward laugh. "You have a really amazing voice."

It was Natsu's turn to blush. He hadn't realized he was singing along so loud. "Thanks. I've never sang with an audience before."

 _Oh god. Did she see me air drumming and everything?_

Then she started laughing.

"And I gotta say, your air drumming is on point." she added, laughing harder.

"Hey! What's so funny?!" Natsu snapped, feeling his face grow even hotter.

"Nothing! Nothing! I'm sorry." she waved her hands in front on her as she attempted to calm down her laughter. "I love that song by the way."

"You do?" Natsu was kind of shocked. She definitely didn't strike him as a rock fan.

She planted her hands on her hips. "What? Is it so hard to believe I'm into that kind of music?"

He quirked an eyebrow and looked at her up and down. "I don't know. You kind of look like a Britney Spears kind of girl to me."

"Well if you ever look through my iPod, you'd be in for one hell of a surprise, Dragneel."

"Don't get me wrong. I think it's awesome that a girl is into the same kind of music as me. What are some of your favorite bands?"

An excited grin flashed across her face. "Oh don't get me started."

 _Oh yeah. This girl is awesome._

* * *

"Oh my god have you heard their new stuff? Amazing."

"Right?! I thought I wouldn't like them as much with the new lead singer and all, but I actually like them better!"

"Me too! What do you think about-"

 _*RIIIIIIING*_

Lucy was cut off by the sound of the first bell.

"Have we really been talking that long? I had no idea." Natsu said with another toothy grin.

"I guess so." Lucy giggled. "I was supposed to be figuring out where all my classes are. Guess I'll just wing it."

"What's your first class?"

"Hm. Let me see." she pondered as she fished her schedule out of the pocket of her jeans. "Ah here we go. English."

"Me too! I'll walk you there! And I'll show you around today too!" Natsu said, springing from his seat.

"Thanks Natsu! That sounds great!"

"Well let's get going, Luce! I'll introduce you to everyone!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the cafeteria and into the hall. She couldn't help the huge smile on her face as they raced down the hallway to get to class.

Lucy could tell that she and Natsu were going to be great friends. He turned and gave her a big goofy grin, and in that moment, Fairy Tail High felt like home.

 **So there it is! My first published fanfic! I hope it wasn't too horrible for you! Again, reviews or advice is welcome! I hope to start writing and publishing more often if this one goes well. Thanks again for reading. You rock! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I decided to try to continue this story! Sorry it took so long to do so! And sorry if it's not that great. I haven't been able to get in the groove lately but I'm satisfied with it. (: Thanks for reading. Reviews and advice are welcome!**

* * *

After narrowly escaping the tardy bell, Natsu and Lucy made it to class and compared schedules. Much to Lucy's excitement, they had almost every class together. Natsu's presence was comforting and made Lucy's first day jitters nearly disappear. She was glad that she wouldn't be wandering around aimlessly all day.

The only class they didn't have together was their fifth period class; his being wood shop and her's being library aid.

"You really didn't have to walk me here, Natsu. You said the wood shop is on the other side of the school." Lucy said as they made their way through the halls to the library.

Natsu shrugged. "Yeah so what?"

"Won't you be late?"

"Eh, maybe. I told you I'd show you around today and that's what I'm gonna do. Wouldn't want you getting lost on your first day." Natsu said matter-of-factly.

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. "Well if you get in trouble don't blame me."

"Yeah, yeah. Here we are. And look. Still plenty of time to get to wood shop if I run." He grinned widely at her before turning to break into a sprint. "See ya at lunch, Luce! Make sure you look for me!" He shouted back at her before rounding the corner, leaving Lucy on her own for the first time today.

She opened the door to the library and walked up to the large desk in the front of the room. Desks topped with old looking computers and a few tables occupied a small corner of the library while the rest was filled with tall shelves of books neatly placed and organized. Lucy loved to read so she felt being a library aid was the perfect fit. The comfortable silence and scent of old pages relaxed her.

Someone with blue hair and red glasses peeked around one of the many bookshelves. "Hello! Can I help you with something?"

"Hi! I'm supposed to be a library aid this period?"

"Oh you must new!" The petite looking girl came out from behind the shelf and skipped over to Lucy with an outstretched hand. "I'm Levy. I'm also a library aid this period."

Lucy shook her hand and smiled. "I'm Lucy."

"Nice to meet you, Lucy! Let me show you around and explain what you're gonna be doing around here." Lucy followed Levy further into the library and listened as she showed her all the different sections of books. As they strolled through the aisles and talked about their favorite authors, the two girls instantly clicked.

"So how is your first day going, Lucy? Do you like it here so far?" Levy inquired from across the table. After her tour, which took most of the period, they decided to take a break before lunch.

"It's going great! The teachers here are really nice. Much better than the last school I went to."

"Have you met many people?"

"Just you and this guy named Natsu so far. He's actually been the one showing me around today."

"Ohh you met Natsu?" Levy leaned forward and pushed up her glasses intrigued. "When did that happen?"

"This morning before school started. He was in the cafeteria for some reason." Lucy realized she never really asked why Natsu had been in the cafeteria so early.

"Ah. He had early morning detention for cussing Gray out in front of the teacher." Levy said, answering her unspoken question. "How did you end up running into him?"

"Well, uhh.." Lucy was hesitant. "I heard him singing from out in the hall and looked to see who it was." She finally admitted, tugging at a piece of her blonde hair.

Levy stood up from her seat, startling Lucy. "Singing?! Natsu?!" A distant shhhh from the librarian caused Levy to sit back down and lower her voice again. "You're kidding!"

"Nope." Lucy laughed nervously. _Crap. Natsu probably didn't want me telling everyone about that._

"That's crazy! Was he any good?" Levy was wide eyed.

"Yeah he actually was. I knew the song he was singing so we started talking about music and then he offered to help me get around today." Lucy smiled remembering how long they talked about all their favorite bands.

Levy leaned back and looked up in thought. "Wow. It's weird to hear about Natsu doing something like that. He's so hot headed. Always starting fights and what not." Suddenly she gasped and snapped her gaze to Lucy. "Maybe he likes you!"

"What?! No, no, no. We just met this morning!" Lucy blushed and waved her hands in front of her face.

Much to her relief, the bell rang signaling them to go to lunch. The two girls gathered their things and continued chatting on their way to the cafeteria.

* * *

"Hey! Lucy! Over here!" She heard Natsu yelling from across the crowded cafeteria. When she spotted his pink hair, she waved and began making her way to him. As she approached, he stood threw an arm around her shoulders, causing her to blush and Levy to give her a sly grin.

"Hey, everybody. This is Lucy. She's new." He beamed.

"Hello." An older looking girl with gorgeous red hair greeted. "I'm Erza. Welcome to Fairy Tail High."

"I'm Jellal, Erza's boyfriend." A blue haired boy with a strange mark around his eye nodded from beside Erza.

"Hello. Nice to meet you." Lucy said with a polite wave.

Levy took an empty seat beside a boy with long black hair and metal studs on his face who was leaning against the wall. "This grumpy looking guy is Gajeel." Levy said as she poked his face. He swatted at her hand with a grunt.

"My name's Gray." A raven haired boy announced before he was tackled from behind.

"Gray-sama!" The girl squealed.

"And this is Juvia - get off of me!" Gray wheezed.

"Hey! I have a bone to pick with you, Ice Dick!" Natsu shouted, releasing Lucy from his hold and pointing a finger in Gray's face.

"Get your hand outta my face, ash for brains! It ain't my fault you're a dumbass and got detention!" Gray shouted back.

"You wanna go, stripper?!"

"Hell yeah! I'll kick your ass right here!"

"Does this happen a lot?" Lucy sweated.

"Enough." Erza's stern voiced boomed through the entire cafeteria. The two boys stopped in their tracks.

"Yes ma'am!" They said in unison.

"I apologize for their actions, Lucy. Please, sit with us." Erza smiled gently at her and gestured towards an empty seat next to where Natsu had planted himself.

"I'm gonna get some food. You want me to grab anything for you, Lucy?" Levy asked.

"Um. Maybe just a water if you don't mind. Oh and some of that pasta looks nice."

"I'm sorry, Lucy." Erza looked away as if embarrassed. "I took the last of the pasta earlier." She looked back at her, determined. "You may strike me if you wish."

"Uhh it's okay. I don't think that'll be necessary." _Is everyone at this school crazy?_

* * *

After the last bell, Natsu and Lucy went outside and sat on the steps to wait for her father to pick her up.

"Hey gimme your iPod." Natsu went to grab it Lucy pulled it out of her bag.

"What? No!" she shouted and held it to her chest.

"But you said I could look through it!"

"No I didn't! I said if you looked through it you'd be in for a surprise!"

"Aw come on! I'll give it back in the morning!"

"Ugh. Fine." Lucy huffed in defeat. It's not like I don't have everything saved on my laptop already anyway.

"I'm gonna need your number too." Natsu grinned. "So I can let you know what I think about your taste in music."

"Yeah right." she laughed. "Whatever. Give me your phone." She took it and added herself as a new contact.

She heard a honk and turned. "Oh that's my dad! Gotta go! See you tomorrow, Natsu!"

"See ya, weirdo!" he shouted as she got in the black BMW.

Right before it took off she rolled down the window and yelled "I AM NOT A WEIRDO!"

Natsu just laughed and started his walk home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay! A quicker update! Thank you for all the new follows and the reviews! Also a big thanks to my brother for helping me edit!** **So if there are more mistakes than usual, I blame him.**

 **All of the lyrics used in this chapter belong to the band Starset. I'll put the names of them at the bottom. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Natsu burst through his front door.

"I'm home!" He shouted.

"Welcome home, Natsu. How was school today?" His adoptive father, Igneel, greeted from the kitchen.

"It was pretty good actually." Natsu replied.

Igneel looked surprised as Natsu entered the room. "Oh yeah? I thought you had detention this morning. What has you so chipper?"

"Ah, nothin' in particular, but anyway, I'm gonna go do my homework, see ya at dinner, Dad." He waved as he turned on his heel and walked to his room.

"Okay then, I'll call you when its ready." Igneel smirked. _If I didn't know better, I'd think he met a girl._

Instead of starting on the mound of homework he had, Natsu grabbed Lucy's iPod and scrolled through her library. A lot of Natsu's favorite bands were on there, and even some he didn't know. He went to her playlists and decided to start with the one titled "Faves", but before he hit play he picked up his phone and sent a text.

"Here we go. I guess we're about to find out how surprised I'll really be. :P"

"My taste in music is great so I'm sure you'll enjoy. ;)" Lucy replied.

Natsu chuckled to himself and clicked on a band that he wasn't familiar with. The first song started up with a dramatic feel, almost cinematic, that was quickly replaced with the first lyrics. He closed his eyes so he could focus only on the music playing in his ears.

 _"Mayday!_

 _Mayday!_

 _The ship is slowly sinking._

 _They think I'm crazy_

 _but they don't know the feeling."_

The quiet orchestra resumed as the drums joined in.

 _"They're all around me_

 _circling like vultures._

 _They wanna break me_

 _and wash away my colors."_

Natsu was hit with the chorus, consuming his every thought and wrapping him in the intensity and emotion of the vocalist.

 _"Take me high and I'll sing._

 _Oh, you make everything_

 _okay, okay, okay. 'Kay, okay, okay._

 _We are one in the same_

 _Oh, you take all of the pain_

 _away, away, away. 'Way, away, away._

 _Save me if I become_

 _my demons."_

Natsu listened to the rest of the song completely entranced. He loved everything about it. He could already tell that Lucy was right, she did have great taste in music.

 _I think I found my new favorite song._ He thought as the song ended.

* * *

*Buzz buzz*

Lucy's sleep was cut short by her phone vibrating on her night stand and the annoying, blinging light it emitted.

 _Ugh. What time is it?_

When she checked, she nearly threw it. "3 A.M.?! Who is trying to get ahold of me at 3 in the morning?!" she quietly exclaimed to herself.

She quickly unlocked it and saw she had three missed text messages from Natsu.

 _What?_

"LUCY OMG LUCY"

"HOLY CRAP LUUUUUUCE"

"LUCY WHY AREN'T YOU AWAKE?!"

She had half a mind to call him and yell at him for interrupting her sleep, but she didn't want to wake her father up. She settled for angrily texting him back instead.

"BECAUSE NORMAL PEOPLE AREN'T AWAKE AT 3 AM ON A SCHOOL NIGHT, IDIOT!" She hit send and waited for him to respond.

"Good! You're up! I listened to the whole thing. :D" He replied, disregarding her obvious displeasure.

"You've been up listening to my iPod all this time? And you felt the need to tell me this late?" She sent back.

"Yeah! It's great! There were a few bands on here that I didn't even know. I'm impressed a weirdo like you would have such good taste."

"Of course I have good taste and I AM NOT A WEIRDO!"

"Yeah yeah. Anyway, I'm going to bed now. It's a school night, ya know. You really shouldn't be up this late."

Lucy was seething. "YOU WOKE ME UP!"

"Good night, Lucy!"

She didn't bother responding again. She tossed her phone back on her night stand and pulled the blanket over herself. She couldn't help the triumphant smile that crossed her face as she slowly fell back asleep.

* * *

The next morning at school Lucy was standing at her locker pulling out books for her first class, suddenly she felt two arm hands clasp her shoulders which nearly made her jump out of her skin and drop her books on the floor.

"SEND OUT THE SIGNAL AND I'LL FLY LOW!" Natsu's loud singing rang in her ears. Nothing like the sweet sounding voice she heard the first time they met. This time it was more obnoxious. "IF IT MEANS THE DEATH OF ME, I WON'T LET GO!"

She spun around and stuck her finger to his chest. "Natsu, if you do that again I will kick you into next week! You scared the shit outta me!"

"No need for such foul language so early in the morning, Lucy." He teased.

"No need to be so lound first thing in the morning either." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry." He said and reached into his backpack, producing her iPod. "Here ya go."

"Thank you." She took it, and dropped it into her own bag. Just as she was done stuffing it in her locker, the bell rang loudly through the halls. "Crap! Now we're late!"

Natsu grabbed her hand and ran, pulling her behind him. "Well let's get going!"

* * *

The rest of the week went by in a flash. They repeated the same routine they did the first day. Natsu walked with Lucy to all their classes, they separted at the library, and met up again at lunch. Now it was Friday and Lucy was excited to find out what everyone was up to this weekend.

Everyone greeted her as she approached the table with Levy.

"Hey there, Lucy." A brown haired girl slurred from the corner before taking a large gulp from her water bottle.

"Hello, Cana."

"You two met already?" Natsu asked, looking thoroughly confused.

Lucy let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Yeah. We met in the locker room before P.E." she said, scratching the side of her head.

"I saw her gigantic boobs from across the room and fell in love!" Cana cheered.

"That's not water in that bottle, is it." Gray deadpaned.

She waved it around and loudly whispered "Vodkaaaaaa." Then she turned and extended it to Lucy. "Want some?"

"No thank you." She tried to sound polite.

"More for me!" Cana said before tipping the bottle up again.

Lucy took her seat beside Natsu who was currently stuffing his face from the giant pile of food in front of him.

"So Lucy," Erza said, drawing her attention away from Natsu's sloppy feasting, "Jellal and I are have a little get together this weekend at my house. I'd like to see you there."

"Sure! That's sounds like fun!" Lucy couldn't hide her enthusiasm. She was excited that they thought to invite her.

"Excellent. You'll need to bring a date."

"A d-date?"

"Maybe you and Natsu could go together!" Levy butted in, leaving Lucy in stunned silence.

Natsu looked up from his food hearing his name mentioned. "What about me?"

"Their talkin' about you and Lucy going to Erza's party together." Gray informed him.

"Sure, why not?" He said nonchalantly.

Lucy nearly fell out of her chair. "WHAT?! We just met Monday!"

"What's the big deal? We'll just go as friends." He said around a mouth full of chicken.

"Okay, its settled. See you two this tomorrow." Jellal nodded and stood up with Erza to leave.

Lucy was too shocked to speak. _I'm going to my first high school party with Natsu._

* * *

Natsu walked outside after school to see Lucy talking on her phone.

"Okay, Dad. I'll see you tonight. Love you too. Bye."

"What's up?"

She sighed and put her phone back in her pocket. "My dad is stuck at work and can't pick me up so I'm going to have to walk. Which I hate doing on my own because I'm so paranoid." she whinned, burrying her face in her hands.

"I can walk you there if you want."

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "You'd do that?"

Natsu shrugged and smiled at her. "Sure. Its no problem. Gotta make sure you get home safe so you can be my date tomorrow."

She was blushing now and he could help but laugh at how cute she looked.

"What's so funny?!"

"Nothing. Let's just get going."

* * *

The walk to Lucy's was filled with effortless conversation and laughs. Soon they arrived at her house and she invited him in for some tea before he made the journey home.

"Nice place." Natsu said as he looked around her living room.

"Thanks. I'm gonna go change clothes. Wait here, okay?"

"Okie dokie!" he said energetically as she turned towards to bedroom.

She grabbed a pair of shorts and a tshirt before heading into the ajoined bathroom. She quickly changed and looked herself over in the mirror, then threw her hair up in a bun and exited the bathroom.

"Wow you're bed is really comfortable!"

"NATSU WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!" She screamed loudly in surprise, her eyes going wide as she looked at the rose haired boy lying sprawled out on her bed.

"Gah! So loud! I was just lookin' around!" He exclaimed hopping down.

"I told you to wait in the living room!"

Natsu just waved her off as he looked her up and down. "Nice shirt."

She looked down and observed her old, worn out Master Of Puppets shirt. It was faded and slightly frayed at the bottom, but it was comfortable.

"I know." She smiled.

He was still looking at her with an expression she couldn't read.

 _Is he blushing?_

Suddenly he snapped out of whatever trance he was in. "Well I better get home before it gets dark." He went over to her window and sat on the edge. "Later, Luce!" he beamed before jumping out.

She ran over to the open window and yelled out of it. "Hey! They make doors for a reason!"

"Doors aren't as fun!" He shouted back. "See ya tomorrow!" And with that, he sprinted out of her yard and down the street.

"And he calls _me_ a weirdo."

* * *

 **So did you catch the irony of Natsu's new favorite song? I get the E.N.D nalu feels when I hear it. Hahahahahah I'm not crying. :'D**

 **Anyway, the songs used are My Demons by Starset (The first set) and Halo by Starset (The one Natsu sings to scare Lucy in the hallway).**

 **Thanks again for reading! You guys give me life.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the wait! I've been having a rough few weeks and didn't get the chance to sit down and write. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

 ***DISCLAIMER* None of the bands mentioned are mine and of course Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

Natsu made it home and went straight to his room. For some reason he just couldn't get this blush to go away. Something about seeing Lucy in that old, worn out band tee stirred something in him. Something unfamiliar and strange.

He flopped face down on his bed with a huff. He couldn't get that picture of her out of his head - blonde hair pulled messily on top of her head, loose strands framing her face, chocolate eyes burning into him curiously, and her worse for wear, over-sized tee hanging down to the top of her creamy thighs. He couldn't help but wonder if they were as soft as they looked. The image of his callused fingers running up those smooth legs invaded is mind without permission. He quickly sat up and shook the thought from his mind, rubbing his eyes with a frustrated grunt.

 _I can't be having these thoughts about her. We just met, for Pete's sake!_

But it felt like he'd known her so much longer than that. He didn't realize it until now, but he didn't like the thought of not walking her to class everyday. He felt the need to protect her, to stay by her side. How can he feel like this after only a week?

He decided to listen to music to clear his head. He couldn't let these weird feelings make things awkward between them. Especially not now that he was taking her to Erza's party tomorrow night, as his _date_.

He put on his headphones and scrolled through his library. He hesitated over his extensive playlist of Metallica, but decided against it since he was trying to get the image of that Master Of Puppets shirt _out_ of his head. Eventually he just hit shuffle and let whatever song it settled on chase out his confusing thoughts.

He laid back down on the bed and closed his eyes.

* * *

"I wonder what go him all flustered." Lucy thought aloud as she settled on top of her purple comforter. Her phone buzzed and she unlocked it to reveal a text from Levy.

"So are you excited?!" it read.

"Excited about what?" she replied.

"About your date with Natsu, silly!"

She dropped her phone in her lap and smacked her forehead. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." She let Natsu's weird behavior distract her from it.

The blonde scooped her phone back up and typed back. "I don't know. I guess so."

"You don't seem all that excited, Lu."

"I am! I guess I just feel weird about going on a date with a guy I just met."

"Don't worry about it. You guys are already almost inseparable at school. How bad could it be?"

Lucy sighed. She knew her friend was right. She couldn't think of anyone else she'd rather go to this party with. And they're just going as friends. Maybe she was overthinking things.

Her phone buzzed with another message. "Besides, he totally likes you."

Her brown eyes went wide and a blush graced her cheeks. "What makes you think that?!"

"Everyone sees the way he looks at you. And he walks you to all of your classes and never leaves your side. Its pretty obvious, Lu." She could almost see Levy's mischievous grin written in her words.

"Well how about you and Gajeel?!" she typed, deciding to steer the subject away from herself. "Aren't you two going together? You totally like him."

"I do not! We both needed a date and he asked if I wanted to ride with him!" Mission accomplished.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Levy." Lucy smirked.

There was a knock at her door and she heard he father on the other side. "Lucy? I'm home. I picked up some dinner."

"Okay, Dad. I'll be right there."

* * *

The next morning Lucy stirred as something poked her face.

"Lucy. Wake up."

"Hm?" She rolled over and cracked an eye open, immediately squeezing it closed again as she was blinded by the light pouring in from her window.

"Luuuuucy." Something poked her face again.

She blinked her eyes open again, squinting as she tried to adjust to the brightness. She could just barely make out a figure hovering above her with spiky pink hair.

 _Wait a minute. Pink hair?_ Realization hit her like a bus.

"NATSU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!" She shouted, springing up from her bed.

"OW!" He shrieked covering his ears. "Are you always this loud in the morning?!"

"You can't just break into my house! What if my dad sees you!"

"I'm not stupid, Luce. His car isn't here." he sneered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That still doesn't justify you breaking in!" she said as she threw the covers off herself and stood up. "What time is it?"

He picked up his phone and checked his clock. "8:52"

"Why are you here so early?!" She shouted, pulling at her hair.

"I figured we could hang out until we go to the party tonight!" He said jumping up from his spot on her bed.

Her anger vanished almost instantly. She couldn't help but be a little excited that he wanted to spend time with her. "Fine. But I need to take a shower and get dressed first. Stay here and this time, DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!"

His hand shot up to cover his ears again. "AH! OKAY! I won't touch anything! But can I at least listen to your iPod again?"

She opened the drawer on her nightstand and handed him her iPod before making her way to the bathroom.

She quickly showered wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel. After brushing her teeth and her hair, she got dressed in shorts and a flowy tank top and left the bathroom to see what Natsu had gotten into while she was gone.

To her surprise, however, he was still laying on her bed with his headphones on listening to her iPod. His eyes were closed and he looked as if he were in a state of absolute peace. She tip toed over to the side of the bed and took in his serene expression.

 _He looks so cute like this._ He had one arm thrown behind his head and the other resting on his stomach. She let her eyes wonder over his relaxed form. He was wearing a black t-shirt with 'Motionless In White' splattered across it in white letters and his jeans were old looking with holes at the knees. She was startled when he moved the arm resting on his stomach to join the other behind his head, causing his shirt to ride up a little and reveal his perfectly cut hip indents and a thin, pink line of hair trailing from his belly button and disappearing into is pants.

All she could do was stare and hope she wasn't drooling. _Wow._

"Like what you see?"

"KYAAA!" Lucy shrieked as she scrambled off the bed, falling to the floor. Laughter rang from above her and her already too hot face grew even hotter. She rolled onto her stomach, deciding that laying there was better than facing him right now.

"You okay down there?" Natsu said when his laughter calmed. She heard him clamber off the bed and walk around to her spot on the floor.

"I'm fine." she murmured.

"Come on. Let me help you up, weirdo."

Her head shot up to look at him indignantly. "I am NOT a weirdo!"

"Well then why were you starin' at me with that weird look on your face?" He asked with a mocking grin as she took his hand and hoisted her to her feet.

"Sh-Shut up!" She didn't think her blush could get any worse.

He looked at her inscrutably for a moment before a loud rumbling noise sounded between them.

"Ah man, Luce, do you have anything to eat?" He whined as he clutched his growling belly. "I'm starving."

She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to follower her to the kitchen.

* * *

After feeding Natsu what seemed like her whole pantry, the two spent the majority of the day playing Mario Kart and watching movies. She was delighted by the about of fun she was having just being in his company. Eventually the embarrassing moment earlier slipped her mind. Afternoon turned into evening and they made their way towards Erza's house for the party.

Music could be heard from inside the enormous house as they approached the front door. Without bothering to knock, Natsu opened the door and stepped aside for Lucy to enter. She was immediately greeted with the sight of dancing teenagers and the loud beat of a pop song she recognized. She looked around and saw all of he friends she had made this week. Levy was standing by the refreshment table with Gajeel, Juvia was dragging Gray to the dance floor, and Cana was dancing on a table top with a orange haired boy with glasses.

"Hello, Lucy and Natsu. I'm glad you could make it!" Erza spoke above the music as she and Jellal approached them from the dance floor. "You're just in time for karaoke!"

"Oh I love karaoke!" Lucy clapped her hands and turned to Natsu. "You have to sing."

"What?! No way!" He shouted.

"Aw, come on! What if I sing with you?"

He looked at her then incredulously. Her brown eyes were wide and pleading and her bottom lip was poking out in a pout. He sighed in defeat. He couldn't say no to her when she was making such a cute face.

"Fine."

"Really?! Yay! This is gonna be so much fun!" she squealed, jumping up and down. The smile she gave him nearly knocked him of his feet.

She took his hand and dragged him to the makeshift stage at the front of the room where Erza was announcing the karaoke contest. Gajeel was the first to grab the microphone while everyone groaned in protest.

Natsu swallowed. He had never sang in front of people before. He was actually really nervous.

But for the girl bouncing with excitement beside him, he'd probably do just about anything.

* * *

 **Ooooh a duet! I wonder what they'll sing!**

 **I hope you all liked this chapter! I intended for it to be longer but I decided to save some for the next chapter. Let me know what you think in the reviews! Thanks for reading! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! Let me start off with a huge SOOOORRRYYYYY for taking so long to update. Between birthday, my family adopting a new baby, and my anxiety acting up really bad, I haven't had the time or motivation to write. (Me accidentally closing the tab and having to start this chapter all over didn't help either. :'D)**

 **Anyway, it's finally time for Natsu and Lucy's duet! Big thanks to SakuraPetal91 for giving me the idea for what song to use. (Check her out! She's a great writer and an amazing person. :D) And so you know what to listen to while reading, (if any of you want to do that) it's Little Talks by Of Monsters And Men.**

 **I hope you all like the chapter and again I'm so so so so so so sorry for the super late update.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own the song used in this chapter and, as always, Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

Natsu was almost positive that his heart was visible as it beat against his chest. The only thing keeping him from trembling was the slender hand in his. He stood there in front of the two sturdy wood tables acting as the stage Gajeel was currently occupying with a million thoughts racing through his head. He glanced over at Lucy who was smiling brightly, bouncing in her place as she waiting impatiently for their turn. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch with a grin of his own. Somehow, just seeing how she shined with excitement calmed him a little. She probably didn't even realize she hadn't let go of his hand so he relished in the feel of her soft fingers intertwined with his while he could.

All too soon, though, Gajeel's song ended with a collective groan of relief from the audience. Lucy quickly turned to Natsu with gleaming eyes.

"Are you ready?!" She all but sang.

He forced a smile and replied with "As I'll ever be."

As if sensing his apprehension, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't be nervous, Natsu. You're gonna knock 'em dead." She winked.

Her warm brown eyes held nothing but sincerity. He gave her a smile smile and nodded. _I can do this._

"Okay." Jellal spoke into the microphone. "Now that that's over, who's next?"

Lucy's hand quickly shot in the air. "We are!"

"Alright. Lucy and Natsu, everyone!" Jellal handed the mic off to Lucy and she tugged Natsu up onto the stage.

"Salamander's gonna sing? This oughtta be good." Gajeel sneered from the back of the room.

"Prepare yourselves, everybody. Hopefully at least Lucy's part will be alright." Gray said, deciding to join in on the taunting.

"You wanna fight, frosty dick?!" Natsu growled.

"Bring it on, fire ass!"

"Both of you shut up! I'm sure Lucy is ready to begin." Erza scolded.

"Come help me pick a song, Natsu." Lucy waved him over from in front of the karaoke machine. He made his way over to her, shooting a bird at Gray while he walked.

They began scrolling through the extensive list of songs on the machine. There were all sorts of genres from rock to pop and even jazz. After a couple minutes of browsing, Lucy finally settled on one she liked.

"Do you know this one?"

"Let me see." She moved aside so Natsu could see the screen. He immediately recognized the song and for the first time since he was asked to do this, excitement bubbled up inside of him. He turned to look up at her and smiled. "Yeah I know it."

"Alright then! Let's do it!" She exclaimed.

Natsu grabbed the spare microphone from beside the machine and they went to take their places on the stage. Lucy pressed play on the remote and the room was quickly filled with the loud tune. A lot of people recognized it and cheered or started clapping to the beat.

Natsu couldn't deny that he was having a bit of stage fright so he decided to keep his eyes trained on Lucy. As long as he did that, he could ignore the many pairs of eyes looking at him.

Lucy's first line was coming up so she brought the mic up to her mouth. The angelic voice that followed made Natsu's entire world stop.

"I don't like walking around this old and empty house."

His heart was in a frenzy and this time it definitely wasn't from the nerves. He didn't have any time to process though, because his line came soon after. All he could manage was a dull, mumbled version of "So take my hand I'll walk with you my dear."

This caused Lucy to give him a look of concern as she sung her next line.

"The stairs creak when you sleep, its keeping me awake."

Natsu was still in a daze and delivered his next line in the same lifeless manor.

"Its the house telling you to close your eyes."

"And some days I can't even dress myself." Her eyes burned into him as if they were telling him to snap out of it.

"It's killing me to see you this way." His tone didn't change. He just kept staring at her wide eyed. She reached out to take his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

As if like magic, the soft touch of her hand brought him back down to earth just in time to sing the next line with her.

"'Cause the truth my vary this, ship will carry our, bodies safe to shore."

This time he sang like he did in the cafeteria the day they met. He filled that line with as much passion and feeling as he could. He had to make it up to Lucy for spacing out like that. _No more fooling around, Natsu._

The song picked up again and he looked out at the crowd. People were cheering with surprised looks on their faces. He chuckled quietly to himself when his eyes landed on Gray and Gajeel with their jaws on the floor. And thanks to his sharper than normal hearing, he even picked up Gray saying "No fucking way!" which caused him to laugh louder.

He looked back at Lucy who had let go of his hand to dance. She looked so carefree on stage. Like she belonged there. Her exuberance was clearly contagious as Natsu soon found himself dancing as well. He was actually having a blast!

The song slowed back down and Lucy started singing again. They continued trading verses through the next verse and singing in unison during the chorus. Every time the song picked back up they'd dance and clap with the crowd.

"Don't listen to a word I say! The screams all sound the same!"

"Though the truth my vary this, ship will carry our, bodies safe to shore."

Everyone was dancing and singing along. Even Gray and Gajeel were clapping and joining in on the "hey's".

As the song started to come to an end, Natsu and Lucy turned back to each other. His heart was going haywire again looking into her eyes. Little did he know, Lucy's was doing the same. He took in the sight of her flushed face and sparkling expression. She smiled and something in his stomach started fluttering. They each took a breath and sang their last line with something a little more than just excitement.

"Thought the truth may vary this, ship will carry our, bodies safe to shore."

The audience erupted into a roaring applause.

"Lucy sounded amazing!"

"Wow I didn't know Natsu could sing!"

"That was awesome!"

They took a final bow and hopped off the stage. Lucy was soon met by Levy who was jumping up and down and sqealing.

"I'm fangirling so hard right now! You guys were so great together!" She said, hugging Lucy.

"Well I guess that didn't _totally_ suck." Gray grumbled from beside them.

"Jealous?" Natsu teased.

"Hell no! I bet I can sing way better than you!"

"Juvia will sing with you, Gray-sama!" Juvia beamed as she dragged Gray to the stage.

"What?! No! Wait a sec!" he protested to no avail.

"Up next is Gray and Juvia!" Erza announced.

* * *

After everyone had had a turn at karaoke and Lucy and Natsu were declared the winners, Natsu walked Lucy back to her house.

"I had a really great time tonight." Lucy said once they reached her doorstep.

Natsu put on one of his big toothy grins. "Me too!"

That smile made her heart feel like it was going to burst. _How can anyone be this adorable?_

A short moment of silence passed between them.

"Listen, Luce. I-" Natsu was cut off by the front door opening.

"Oh, Lucy. You're home." Her father said from the doorway. "I thought I heard someone out here. Who's this?"

"This is my friend Natsu. He walked me home from Erza's."

"Hello, Natsu. Thank you for making sure my daughter got home safe."

"No problem! Nice to meet ya!"

He nodded in response and turned back to Lucy. "Well, dear, say your goodbyes. It's late."

"Okay, dad. I'll be in in a minute."

He shut the door again and Lucy turned back to Natsu. "So what were you gonna say?"

She noticed a blushed creep across his face before he pulled his scarf up to cover it. "Oh. Its nothin'."

"Okay then." She smirked. "Well goodnight."

"Goodnight." He waved as he began to walk off, but he paused before he could make it to the steps. "Hey, do you wanna hang out again tomorrow?"

"Sure. That's sounds fun." She tried to ignore the pounding in her chest.

"Great! I'll meet you here tomorrow then!" He beamed.

"Alright. Goodnight. Again." She giggled.

"Goodnight again!" He said and then took off into the night.

Lucy put a hand to her chest to try and calm her frenzied heart. _What is he doing to me?_

* * *

 **Yay! It's done! This is actually the second time I've written this chapter since I accidentally closed my tab earlier today. (I'm still traumatized)**

 **What did you guys think?! Let me know in the reviews!**

 **Another HUUUUGE thank you to SakuraPetal91 for the song! I thought it was absolutely perfect. :D**

 **Until next time! (Which hopefully won't be as long a wait as this time!)**


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